Cartridge-magazine evacuator.



C. A. NELSON.

CARTRIDGE MAGAZINE EVACUATOR.

APPLICATION FILED AIM-4.22.1916.

Patented J ah. 7, 1919.

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NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. NELSON, OF UTICA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR '10 SAVAGE ARMS CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

Application filed August 22, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. NnLsorI, a citizen of the United States, and a res1- dent of Utica, county of Oneida, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cartridge-Magazine Evacuators, of which the following is a full, true, and complete specification.

This invention is an improvement in magazine fire-arms, relating more particularly to that type in which a plurality of laterally superposed cartridges are contained in a magazine chamber beneath the breech bolt and fed into line with the bolt and barrel by a spring-pressed follower or feeding device. The invention provides a means in arms of this class whereby the contents of the magazine may be completely and directly evacuated whenever desired and by a simple manipulation and without complication of the gun structure. To this end the invention consists in the provision of an externallyoperable member or finger piece acting on the normal cartridge retainer of the magazine to depress said retainer when the breech is open thereby allowing the spring-pressed follower to discharge the cartridge through a lateral opening.

In its preferred form, the invention involves that type of fire-arm magazine in which the reserve cartridges are arranged substantially parallel around a rotary spring-urged carrier, by the rotation of which they are successively advanced to the path of the breech piece and under the control of the latter. By appropriate modification, however, the principle of the invention may be readily applied to fire arms having other types of cartridge feeding devices.

In the accompanying drawings, showing merely the preferred embodiment.

Figure 1 is a partial central longitudinal section of a gun equipped with the invention' Fig. 2 a transverse section on the line 2 2 with the cartridge retainer in its retaining position;

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the retainer displaced and showing in dotted lines cartridges being ejected, and

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the retainer supplied with the evacuator finger piece of this invention.

In the arm shown, the breech bolt 1 is operated by an action lever 2 of familiar Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. *7, 1919.

Serial No. 116,228.

design, the rearward motion serving to open the breech and release the spring-pressed finger 3 which ejects the spent shell, and the forward motion serving to push a fresh cartridge, advanced upwardly from the magazine, into the chamber of the gun barrel as will be understood. The barrel is omitted from the drawings. The magazine is constituted by a space in the breech casing immediately below the bolt when closed, and the cartridges are disposed therein between the wings 4 of a rotary spindle 5 centrally journaled in said space. This spindle is hollow as indicated and contains a coil spring 6 appropriately arranged therein around a shaft 7 and tending to rotate the spindle and wings in the direction to carry the cartridge upwardly toward the ejector 3. The ejector is, for convenience, journaled concentric to and preferably on the shaft 7, and is urged by its leaf spring 8 toward a central position when the breech is open as shown in'Fig. 2. In this position its lower side is encountered by the uppermost cartridge, andit thus forms a stop to limit the rotation of the set of cartridges by the carrier spindle. The uppermost cartridge is thus arrested in a position to be engaged by the closing breech piece, 1, and pushed endwise into the chamber, its entrance there to being insured by the curve at the forward end of the spindle 5. The advancing breech piece displaces the ejector toward the side wall of the breech case and temporarily substitutes itself as the stop to limit further upward rotation of the remaining cartridges, but on the next following withdrawal of the breech piece, the ejector reassumes its central position and the next following cartridge is free to rise until it encounters it as before. In this manner the spring pressed rotary carrier spindle presents all of its cartridges successively to the breech piece by the mere reciprocation of the latter by the action lever. The magazine is filled in the first instance by pressing the cartridges latterally into the space between the ejector and the wings 4, thereby rotating the carrier reversely until it is full, all of which will be recognized as a mode of operation well known to the art and also as contemplated in Savage Patent No. 491,138 and No. 502,018.

To evacuate the magazine in guns of this class it has heretofore been necessary to pump them out by working the action lever back and forth without firing, or to hold the ejector and retainer 3 back against its spring when the breech is open; both methods are inconvenient and awkward for obvious reasons.

According to this lnventlon piece 9 im a convenient liocati-on on the breech, and .the manipulation of this thumb piece, when the breech is open, depresses the retaining member and thereby-removes the stop from the set of cartridges allowing the carrierv to rotate freely and throw all its cartridges out through the ejection opening as indicated by'theHdotted-circles in Fig. 3. r The finger piece 9 is'preferably directly connected to the retainer; as

by. means of the short lever arm-10 connected -to the hub by which the retainer-is jour--' naled on" the shaft .7. v

slightly below the surface of the'casingsand It projects but 1 nor is it likely to; he accidentally operated bolt or breech piece when in its retracted when the breech is open. At the same time, the hand that operates the finger piece may also receive the discharged cartridges.

- It is of. course necessary that the breech *bolt be fully open when the magazine is evacuated, and to assist in holding it open, I a spring detent13 is provided near the gunstock, engaging a notch in the bottomvof the position'and yielding to the superior force of the action lever when the latter isclosed against the stock. I

I claim: I v 1. In a fire-arm, the combination of a ro- Qtatablej cartridge carrier, a cartridge ejec- 5 .5

tor and retainer cooperating therewith, and

externally operable means for displacing.

'said ejector and retainer to evacuate the magazine. a

2. In a fire-arm, the combination of a rotatablev cartridge magazine carrier, a cartridge :Gopies of this patent may'be obtained for v the said memher 3, which is normally relied on to control the cartridge supply when the breech is open, is provided with an operating finger retaining device cooperating therewith to limit the rotation thereof, and a releasing lever arm operatively connected to said device for moving the latter about the axis of said carrier. 3.'In a fire-arm, the combination of a magazine, a rotatable cartridge carrier disposed therein, a lever arm pivotally-mounted adjacent togone end of said carrier and carrying a cartridge retaining member, a spring tending to move said member in one direction, a second leverparm connected to said first lever arm, and a finger-piece upon the outer, end ofsaid, latter arm whereby said member may be manually moved against the action of its spring while the breech is open.

4:. In a fire-arm, the combination with the breech bolt and magazine, of a fing'er-l'piece beneath the. magazine and mounted for movement, transverse-to the axisofthe arm and having means operated thereby to. evacuate the magazine.

5.-I'n afire-arm, the conbinationhof' a I cartridgecarrier, a cartridge ejector. andv retainer cooperating'therewith, and externally operable means for-displacing said ejector and retainer to evacuate the magazine,

6. In a..fire-arm,' the .combi'n-ationof a magazine, a rotatable cartridge carrier disposed therein,.a cartridge ejector and retainer extending lengthwise .ofsaidcarrier adjacent to theupper side thereof,-a spring normally tending tohold said ejector and retainer in cartridge-retaining position, a lever arm rigid with said ejector and retainer and pivotally mounted to swing transversely of the magazine about the axis of the carrier as a center, a second lever arm rigid with the first mentioned arm and projecting downwardly from the pivotal cent'er:to a point adjacent the lower surface of the magazine, and a finger piece upon the lower end of said last mentioned arm whereby said'ejector and retainer may be manually moved againstthe action of said spring and held out of the path of the cartridges.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification. v 7 CHARLES A. NELSON.

five cents each,'by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. i 

